Q) You gave a great answer last night when Ryan asked you how old you felt and you said, “Still seventeen.”  Was it important to you to kind of stay true to yourself, to your age and not grow up too fast in this competition?

A) Absolutely.  I find that you don’t want to change who you are in this competition because the people send you through from who you are in the beginning and if you change who you are, then you’re changing the person that America fell in love with.

Q) You know all about the tour before you went out.  It’s going to start July 1^st in Michigan and so forth.  What are your thoughts about the tour?  Have you ever been to an American Idol tour before and what’re you kind of looking forward to and hoping to do on the tour?

A) I’ve never been to an American Idol tour, but I’m really excited to get to be a part of it and interact with the fans and the supporters.  It’s going to be nice to connect with the fans and also be able to go out there and not have to worry about judges or impressing the judges.  It’s just going to be good, clean fun and going to have a blast.

Q) So, in other words, you can actually sing a little better when you don’t have to worry about it?  You can be looser.

A) Absolutely.  Absolutely.  Carefree and it’s going to be great.

Q) fter all their critiques and advice, what do you believe the judges wanted from you?

A) I think the judges wanted to see a little charisma and more – I got my confidence up and I was having a good time.  I just needed to believe a little bit more.  But, I felt the more I went into this competition, the more I was gaining with my confidence and charisma and everything.  I was still learning to add all the extra things to my performances.

Q) The judges seemed to be pushing you to do more country music, but you didn’t come across as an obvious country artist.  What are you feelings towards country music?

A) Actually, country music is what I’ve grown up listening to and it’s what I feel I fit most comfortably with really.  The people that inspire me most are Rascal Flatts and Keith Urban.  They have such great honest music, and I have a great time performing country music.  I see myself, hopefully, going down that road. 

Q) Simon went up to you and held out his arms to hug you last night.  He doesn’t usually do so excitedly.  What did he say to you?

A) He asked me what I felt my best week was, and I said country week.  And he said that’s when I really shined he said, so I’ve just got to figure out the kind of artist I am and what kind of road I want to go down.  Country is what I feel most content with, and that’s where I’m hoping to go down that road, country music.

Q) What did Harry Connick, Jr. say to you?

A) He said it was great and – during the mentor shoot, they actually didn’t air it – but he said that I had a great voice and he said it was almost angelic.  But singing a song beautifully is not the same as – he said you know you’ve got all those high notes but just go out and sing the song without all the high notes, he said, and if someone can go out and do that, that’s a true, true artist.

Q) Did you have a song already set aside if you were going to make it into the top four?

A) I was still filtering through the list a little bit.  Didn’t really have something decided, nothing set in stone but I think it would have been a pretty good week.  But, I’m really happy with as far as I made it.

Q) So what exactly is next for you?  Are you going to go back to high school for a little while or are you going to try to jump out, try to record an album? Do you think that these people you mentioned – like Rascal Flatts – are the kind of people you want to make an album with?

A) Oh, I’d love to.  Like I said, they’re huge inspiration to me.  I’m actually on the verge of finishing up with high school.  I’ve got all my senior credits, so after I finish that I’ll be all finished.  And then I’d love to record an album and get to do some original music like stuff that I’ve written because we’re not allowed to do that on the show, so I don’t know if people know that I write songs.  But, it’s also another huge passion of mine.

Q) I understand that you actually got your start here in Florida. Could you tell me a little bit about the Polk County years, when you were here in Florida?

A) Absolutely.  Yes, sir.  Well, I was born in Sarasota, Florida, and I lived most of life out in Haines City.  I didn’t really start with music until maybe nine years old, but it wasn’t anything too serious.  But, got my start down there and the more I did it, the more comfortable I got with it and started to really get a little bit more comfortable doing it, so I started picking it up as a career.  So then I did the American Idol Experience, which is at Disney World.  After winning that ticket to go to the front of the line, auditioned in Orlando.  I did really well with that, so I’m happy getting this far.

Q) I guess you have a lot of relatives coming to see you when you come to the tour?

A) I do!  It’s going to be so great seeing them all on tour and getting back to some of my old stomping grounds.

Q) You seemed like very good friends with Mike Lynch. What did he say to you after the announcement?

A) Well, Mike was saying, “You made it this far and it’s alright.”  He said good things are all going to come out of this for everybody, for all of us, so he said, “No worries man.  It’s a good place to go.”  He said, “You’re going to do good things.” I’m good friends with everybody on the show.  It’s one big family there because we’re all stuck in the Idol bubble, so contestants and the people behind the show are all we’ve got pretty much so we all stick together and we’re all very close.

Q) It is kind of interesting for the contestants who are minors that they still have to go to school on top of a pretty exhausting Idol schedule. How did you manage to balance all that?

A) I balanced school like, normally it would be the same, waking up a little early to go to school, and I look at it as the contestants have to worry about their performance or the results, but I have to worry about astronomy so I’m not thinking about all this stuff.  So, I have school to take my mind off of it.  So, I use it as an advantage.

Q) Some have criticized Idol this year a little bit for not having the strongest contestants and I just wanted to know what your response to that was?

A) Well, it seems like they say that every year.  And these are all talented people.  We’re all working very hard up there.  When people watch the show, they think that we just go up there and sing, but there’s a lot more behind the scenes that we have to go through.  It’s very difficult singing a song or a genre that you’re not very comfortable with, so it’s a very difficult task.  But, we’re all doing it pretty well I think.

Q) how has your mom influenced your singing and your lifestyle and how has she impacted your presence on the show?

A) My mom being with me on the show – she is a great support.  She gave up so much to make sure all of her kids got what they wanted out of life, and we had a good life ahead of us, so we never had to worry about anything.  She’s always encouraged us to follow our dreams and also my dad as well.  They both put out a lot for me to be able to do this, so I’m very thankful  for both of them, and I love my mom very, very much for the things she’s given up for me.

Q) You’re friends with all of the contestants, but who do you think has the best shot of winning the whole competition?

A) Well, I say this to everyone.  They’re all talented, and I think they all have a shot at winning this because when it all comes down to it, it’s America that votes.  So, any one of them has a shot at this.  They’re all fantastic, and they’re really going to go out there and shine, I think, for top four.  They’re going to do a great job.

Q) Who was your favorite mentor this season?

A) My favorite mentor was Harry Connick, Jr.  He works with us on such a personal level.  He did all the arrangements, and he worked really hard in making sure that we all shined on our performance night.  And just to have a mentor that cares so much and such an iconic figure.  Harry Connick, Jr.:  He’s incredible.   It was such an honor getting to share the stage with him, and I felt really privileged to have him as a mentor.

Q) You’re kind of an endorsement that adoption can work really well sometimes because the people you refer to as your mother and father now, they’re your adopted mother and father and they were originally your aunt and uncle. It seems like you got really lucky that you got adopted into really fine people.  Kind of discuss that whole thing about how well it’s worked out for you.

A) I’ve had a great life, and I love getting to share all this with my family.  My mom and dad put out a lot to make sure I had my dreams, and I’m glad it’s my aunt and uncle that adopted me because if it hadn’t been them, I wouldn’t get to see any of that – my real mom and dad – or any of that side of the family.  That’s the reason they adopted us too because they didn’t want us getting taken away to somebody, some foster parents that would never let us see our real family. 

Q) The “us” you refer to is you and how many siblings were also adopted?

A) Just me and my older brother.

Q) You already mentioned Rascal Flatts.  Did you have a chance to talk with them when they were on the show with the results show last week?

A) I did.  I got a chance to meet them and take a picture with them.  They’re really down-to-earth guys.  That was incredible.  That was one of the highlights for me was getting to meet somebody that inspired me so much, and they thanked me for doing their music on the show.  It’s an honor to do their music on the show.  It’s an honor to hear them say that because I look up to them so much.

Q) Is that the kind of music that you see yourself making after the show?

A) I think that’s definitely the road I see myself going down.

Q) We were talking about your mom before.  What was her reaction later when you dedicated the Shania Twain song to her?

A) She did cry actually because she’s just very proud of me.  She wasn’t actually in the audience that night, but I don’t think she knew that I was going to dedicate the song to her.  I know that she was very, very proud of her young man.  She was there for rehearsal, too.  She had no idea I was going to dedicate it to her.

Q) Could you see Harry Connick, Jr. maybe being a possible replacement for Simon Cowell?

A) Actually, we were talking about that a little bit today.  He would be a great replacement for Simon.  He’s very honest, and he’s going to tell you straight out.  I think Harry Connick would fit the bill perfectly.

Q) What are you looking forward to most about your homecoming and being at home for a little while?

A) I’m looking forward to getting to see some family back home and some friends.  We’ve been out here for, I think, about 2 months and kind of lose track of the time, but it’s going to be nice getting to reconnect with them when I get back home.

Q) So backstage, Michael had been saying how he was going to hold the Idol prom for you and Katie.  Is that happening?

A) I don’t know if it’s happening or not.  Knowing Big Mike, it’ll probably happen

Q) You wanted to take Selena Gomez as your date, so have you contacted her?

A) I haven’t.  I haven’t.  She’s probably really busy.

Q) So they showed a lot of backstage moments this season, which I’ve really enjoyed watching.  What would you say were your best memories from your show or like a really funny moment that maybe we didn’t get to see?

A) Well, after we get off the stage and finish up, the contestants are all waiting because they watch your performance back on the television as it’s going on.  They’re all waiting there to give support, and if the judges cut you down that night, they’re there to build you back up.  It’s a great support.  The contestants are all like family, and we love each other very much.  We want to see each other succeed

Q) Do you think that you were like the little brother of this season?  It seemed like the guys were always taking care of you and they loved you so much.

A) That’s what they definitely call me:  The little brother of the season.  I’m very close with all of them, and they’re all great guys and Momma Socks.  I love them all.

Q) What did your friends say when they heard you had a little crush on Mylie Cyrus?

A) I haven’t heard from them, but they actually thought it was funny.  They haven’t really said much about it.

Q) How do you feel about the other contestants calling you Yoda?

A) It’s cool.  I think it’s funny to have a nickname on the show because that’s how some of the fans have come to know me now that they call me Yoda.  It’s cool to have a name like that.  Star Wars was huge.  I know Casey’s a huge fan of Star Wars too, so.

Q) I wanted to go back to the American Idol Experience. Would you urge other people to do it that way and what did it do for you?

A) Absolutely.  First of all, it’s a great way to get a feel for what this competition is really like.  You go through a set of audition processes and then they put you through – and the audience actually votes you through.  They actually have two different shows that day, and the first one is where the audience votes you through.  At the end of the day because they have a lot of shows and they pick one person from each show that day to go to the finale.  At the finale, the audience votes you through.  So the gold ticket from that puts you to the front of the line for any audition.  That was good for me because I actually ended up being one of the first to audition in Orlando that morning.  It’s a fantastic thing, and it’s a good way to get a good feel for the competition and to what you’re going for.

Q) Do you see yourself going down the Disney road at all?  Maybe Disney show?

A) I see myself as more of interacting with Disney. I know Rascal Flatts had done some recording for Disney – “Life is a Highway” was a Disney recording.  Having to do with Disney but also being able to be a country music artist.  I see myself as more along the lines of a Rascal Flatts-Keith Urban style person.

Q) The song you sang last night, a couple of things. Was it difficult to do and did you think you did better than you did on Tuesday?

A) I didn’t get to watch it back after I had sang that night, but I did feel a lot more – I let everything go.  The difference for me between Tuesday night’s performance and last night’s performance is I was over-thinking it Tuesday night because when I go out there, I want it to be perfect.  I want it to be – and I think that in a sense, it kind of pulls you back a little bit because you’re trying to clean everything up, whereas Wednesday night, I just let it all go and had a great time with it.

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter?

A) I’d just like to send a shout-out to all the fans and the people who have supported me and gotten me this far.  I’ve enjoyed this journey so much and the things I’ve learned and the friends I’ve made have made me just thrilled.  So, I want to thank everybody for voting and your support, and I love you all very much and I can’t wait to see you out on tour.